The Incident
by LeviosaQuest23
Summary: The one time Lily Evans decides to throw away her more Ravenclaw tendencies and be a full-fledged real and true Gryffindor, idiotic, half-baked heroisms included, this happens. Remus is going to kill her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**The Incident**

It's quiet. He isn't used to quiet. Alone. He doesn't like to be alone. Action, movement, that's what he craves. Claws sinking into delicate skin, teeth snipping the ends of that soft fur, tempting him, making him want more. So close. So, so close. That smell. That sweet, delicious smell. He wants it. He needs it. He will get it if it's the last thing he does.

It's not quiet anymore.

-x-

Finally, it was over. The sun was up, the birds were singing cheerily, and life goes on for another month before he was stuck back here in this dark, disgusting, hell of a room. These were the thoughts running through Remus Lupin's groggy mind as he woke up from yet another full moon. Remus was a werewolf, has been for most of his life. A werewolf called Fenrir Greyback bit him as a child. To this day he still couldn't figure out why. Maybe his parents upset the wrong people, or maybe he was just bored. Remus hated the vicious stereotypes his kind had to contend with, but unfortunately, all lies stem from a grain of truth and Greyback was one of those grains. Remus didn't understand it. If he ever forced someone into this life — he'd rather die.

Remus slowly began to stand his mind was gradually coming back to him. The higher the sun rose in the sky, the more human he began to feel. He stretched his back into an upright position listening to the cracks his bones made as they realigned. As he continued through his morning-after routine, the feeling that something was very very wrong arose in his mind. Thinking it was only his paranoia poking out its ugly head once again, he pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasn't until he was halfway through the underground tunnel connecting the shrieking shack, his home away from home, and the Whomping willow at Hogwarts that it hit him: He wasn't injured.

As a child, Remus, having nothing else to amuse him, bloodthirsty werewolf mind, would resort to clawing at and even chewing his own flesh. His parents, and later Madam Pomfrey, would find him in his hole bloody and broken, sometimes barely alive. He became accustomed to finding new scars on his already patch-worked body each month.

Recently, that has begun to change, all thanks to his illegal animagi friends. Werewolves become instantly violent against humans, but are fine around animals. Calm even. His injuries instantly reduced in severity after his nightly visitations began. (Why no one thought to simply get him a pet he will never understand.) Maybe he'd just had a really good night. He'd had good nights and bad nights before Hogwarts, surely he can after. Yet, this explanation didn't quite satisfy him. This was different. Remus was more than just "not hurt", he felt energized. He felt like he could do anything. Something was definitely wrong here.

-x-

"Lily! Lily it's important!" said a voice from behind her. She recognized that voice, but gave no indication that she had heard it or the rapid footsteps accompanying it.

"Lily, I know you're still mad, but I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Snape?" Lily said, turning sharply to face her ex-best friend: Severus Snape. He was breathing hard, too tired and too determined to show the hurt he felt at hearing that name come from her lips.

"I found out what those Marauders do in the middle of the night — when they sneak out of the castle."

"Is that really what you call 'important'?" she scoffed and tried to walk away. However, Snape was too fast and grabbed her before she could get away.

"Yes, it is. I think you're in danger."

"What are you on about?" Lily asked nervously. She had a sinking feeling growing in her gut. "This isn't about Remus again is it?" He couldn't have figured it out could he? Granted it wasn't hidden very well, the evidence was all right there for anyone who cared to pay attention, and Severus always was an observant one. It's honestly only Lily's doing that he hasn't figured it out before; but still, it's been a whole five years! What suddenly tipped him off?

"I've been suspecting it for years, but I've never been about to find proof."

"And you still haven't. It isn't possible."

He continues as if not hear a word. "You've never believed me which, admittedly, put me off the idea for a bit seeing as how you knew him better than I, but I always knew. Think about it! No normal person gets sick that often, always having an excuse to get out of class, those violent outbursts, and have you ever seen that kid eat a piece of meat, Lily, it all adds up to one thing. Werewolf."

"That's insane, Sev," she said falling into the old argument. "Why on earth would there be a werewolf at Hogwarts?"

"Werewolves are wizards too, Lily," he said almost mockingly. In addition to trying to distract him from Remus's condition, she has also frequently argued against the popular stereotypes about those like him.

"That doesn't answer my question." Actually it did.

"Yes, it did."

"Fine, but think about this: If he really was a werewolf, don't you think someone would've found out by now?"

"They did find out. I found out."

"Someone other than you. C'mon Sev, you're not the only one smart enough to put the facts together."

"I'm not the only one who knows. The Marauders are in on it. All four of them."

"You do realize that you just called Potter and Black smart, right?"

"Do you realize that throughout this entire conversation you haven't even wondered how the Marauder's midnight escapades are involved in all this? You know what he is. Keep denying it to yourself, but somewhere in the back of my mind you know I'm right, and I'll prove it to you." He walked away, heading toward the dungeons. "Stay away from them, Lily," he said with his back faced to her.

-x-

She was floating. Her head felt light as a feather, but her body was an anchor pulling her back down. She was unprepared for the sudden crash landing back to earth. Sounds and lights attacking from all directions. And the pain. The pain was unbearable. It felt as if her shoulder was caught in a bear trap laced with a fiery poison coursing through her veins. It wasn't until she felt a comforting hand wrapped around her white fist that she realized that that horrible screeching, ear-splitting sound was coming from her own throat. She held on to that hand, focusing on something outside of the pain until Madam Pomfrey, or who she assumed was Madam Pomfrey as her eyes were closed, was able to force a potion past her unyielding jaw.

Finally, the pain subsided to a more bearable level. Breathing heavily, she opened her eyes to see she was indeed in the hospital wing. She lied in a bed surrounded by a thick, white curtain. The room smelled of potions and had the same sterile feel to it that every hospital had magical or no. She continued to survey her surroundings, eventually noticing the hand that kept her sane. The hand that her right hand was still squeezing the life out of. The hand that belonged to a very tired and very worried looking James Potter.

"How are you feeling?" He asked when he noticed her look at him. It was the most serious she's ever seen him. It was scary actually, to see the usual goofy grin and joyous air replaced with this stone faced man. His stare was so intense. It was as if the existence of the entire world depended on her answer. An answer she didn't have.

"What happened?" she asked instead. She remembered being outside trying to find Severus, but the rest was a jumbled up mess.

"You don't remember?" There was a pause.

"Where's Remus?"

-x-

Remus made it all the way to the hospital wing by himself which was a first. Every month he'd try, but he'd never got farther than the front door, and that was a good day. He even contemplated skipping the hospital wing entirely, it wasn't like he needed any treatment, but then Madam Pomfrey would be in a frenzy looking for him. In the end, he decided to make his way upstairs, let her know he was fine, and head to his dormitory to enjoy a nice lie in before breakfast.

All thoughts of relaxation were erased from his mind, however, when he took in the scene that was the hospital wing. This was why Madam Pomfrey never came down to get him. She was busily running around like a mad woman grabbing potions and casting spells. He walked around the corner to get a better view of the subject of all the commotion and he froze. There was blood everywhere. Madam Pomfrey worked, in her clinical and robotic manor, quickly trying to seal the large gashes running all the way down her patient's arm, but that wasn't the worst of it, not to Remus's experienced eyes. Higher up on the arm, right over the shoulder, was the unmistakable mark of a werewolf bite.

His heart stopped, he couldn't breath, he didn't have to. His worst fear finally came true. Maybe his body realized what a monster it truly was. Maybe he deserved to suffocate.

"Remus?" said a quiet voice to his left. It was James. He had his hands outstretched slightly and walked slowly like a tamer approaching his beast. Because that's what he was after all. They all fooled themselves into believing that Remus could be normal, that werewolves were people too, and Remus let them. He let them fall into his trap. The stereotypes and textbooks were right. He was nothing but a dangerous beast that needs to be 'taken care of', and now they all know the truth. "Remus, talk to me."

He turned around and was gone in a snap. He didn't know where he was going. He just knew he had to leave before he could hurt anyone else. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize anyone was following him until he was on the floor, staring up into the face of the one who now hated him most.

"Remus, it's not your fault! Remus, listen to me!" he said, but he wouldn't; he couldn't, and James would understand that very soon.

-x-

"You did what?" James asked incredulously. He was sure he had to have heard wrong; temporarily gone insane, been possessed by a demon, anything would make more sense than what he thought just came out of his best friend's mouth. Sirius may do some dumb things, but he wasn't an idiot.

"I told Snivellus to meet me at the Shrieking Shack for a duel." Sirius said with a laugh.

"On the full moon?" James said loudly. "How could you be such an idiot?" Everyone's wrong once in a while.

"Relax, he won't even get past the Whomping Willow. I bet we find him passed out in the grass.

"Before Sirius was even able to finish, James was racing through the portrait hole, his invisibility cloak and map lay on his bed, forgotten.

He told him about the entrance through the Whomping Willow? Why? Why? Why? How could that ever seem like a good idea. In what universe would Snape knowing about the Shrieking Shack be a good thing?

When he arrived on the grounds of Hogwarts, seemingly a forever later, he did in fact find Snape outside the Whomping Willow. However, he wasn't alone. standing just feet away was a werewolf abou twice his size. Apparently, he made it all the way down the tunnel and left door open for Remus to follow. James immediately changed into his animagus form, a great majestic stag, and charged the werewolf antlers first. He'd have to remember to apologize for that later.

While calm and docile in the company of his animal friends, when a human was within smelling distance, Remus was impossible to control. He just hoped Snape was smart enough to run. He couldn't hold Remus off much longer.

Remus slashed at James's leg making him fall. He was about to strike again when unexpected help arrived in the form of a werewolf's howl. It came from the far end of the grounds. Remus's head shot up and he instantly followed the sound. James relaxed a second before becoming human again and turning around to see Snape hiding in some bushes. It just wasn't his day. He got up to help Snape back to the castle when he heard a loud, high pitched scream.

-x-

Lily never realized how dark it got on the Hogwarts grounds at night. Of course, she was never sneaking around trying to stop her ex-best friend who was 90% black from getting killed by her other friend, a werewolf. She didn't want to draw attention to herself in case anyone, or anything, else was out here so she headed as quickly and quietly as she could towards the Whomping Willow, hoping she'd catch him on the way.

She heard a growl and quickly hid. As she continued listening, she decided it was more of a snarl than a growl. Not that it really mattered. It sounded like two animals fighting. Slowly, she crawled forward to see what was happening. She seen Remus, at least she assumed it was Remus, fighting with a large stag with huge antlers. She gasped as a paw swiped at the stag's face drawing blood. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what. Any animal would hold up much better against an angry werewolf than she wouldn't it? She'd only get herself killed if she intervened. And if that stag was who she thought he was, she'd only be a distraction. She heard a disgusting crack and watched the stag fall to the ground, it's leg a bloody mess.

At that moment, a movement caught her eye, and Remus's too. It was Snape hiding near by, preparing to make a run for it. With it's target once again in it's sight, the werewolf raised a paw to

finish off it's current opponent in order to chase down it's real prize.

Without thinking, she took a deep breath, cupped her hands around her mouth, and gave her best werewolf howl. She remembered from Defense Against the Dark Arts that werewolves were attracted to the howl of their own kind. Unfortunately it worked and now Remus was coming for her.

She ran like death itself was chasing her. She didn't know where, she didn't know why as she was no match for a werewolf's speed, but it was the only plan she had. She ran faster and harder to know avail. She could hear the werewolf gaining on her. She rand and skid to a stop, almost running off the end of a cliff. It was tall, probably 200 foot drop at least

What happened next, Lily would never be able to explain, even to herself. Remus, running at a much faster pace, wasn't able to stop. As he went flying off the edge, she reached out to grab his paw. Claws out, he dug into her arm, the only thing keeping him alive, not that the werewolf cared at the moment. He wanted it and he had it. He climbed up the rock, onto the ledge, and bit into her bare shoulder, almost hitting her neck, extracting a bone-chilling scream.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Quick note: I love my writing professor, and you soon will too.

Anyway, this fic **will **be continued, just slower than originally anticipated. I expected a slow semester at school after dropping a class and was very very wrong. Good thing I dropped that class. Anyway, enjoy!

**The Incident**

**Chapter 2**

"Where's Remus?' Lily said, not waiting for an answer before rising from her lying position on the white hospital bed.

"Oh no you don't," James said, holding her down with a solid, hairy arm. "You're in no condition to be running around the castle right now."

"I don't care," she said with a grimace. She doubted she was in any condition to sit up if she was being entirely honest with herself, but now was not the time for honesty. She didn't know where Remus was, but she was sure, if he had any clue of what had just happened, he'd be beating himself about now. If not, he would soon, and she wanted him to hear it from her. "I have to know if he's ok," she said, giving up on her struggles and lying back into the soft, plumped pillows breathless.

James paused. Looking down at the wilting and fatigued form of the girl he knew usually be so strong and fierce, he was overwhelmed with an urge to protect her, stronger than ever before. He looked down to see the small, pale hand he was still rubbing unconsciously.

"Why wouldn't he be?" he finally said awkwardly. He didn't know what she knew, or understood, of what just happened to her, but from her reaction, he was willing bet it was a great deal more than anyone would expect. Still, he couldn't be sure, and now was definitely not the time to be springing sensitive information on her.

"Because he's Remus. You're his friend; you know what he's like."

Well, she sure hit that one on the head. "So trust me when I say that you running out frantically calling his name is the exact opposite of what he needs right now."

She wanted to argue, she normally would, but that sudden burst of adrenaline at the sound of Remus's name, reliving the night before, was quickly wearing off. Not to mention that hand rubbing her's so soothingly. In the end, she never had a chance. She was asleep again in seconds.

James, noticing her deepened breathing and relaxed muscles, removed his hand and leaned back in his rickety, wooden visitor's chair, his mind released to think about other things. Like maybe his charms homework that he meant to finish tonight. Ha, if only his life so simple. No, he had more pressing matters to wrap his mind around.

How _was_ Remus doing? Where did he go? James wanted to believe that all he needed was time, but if this was anyone but Lily, he'd be out there hunting him down, just like she wanted to. Was he doing the right thing? Surely Lily needed him more right now. Granted, she was sleeping at the moment, but what if he wasn't just here? She'd be on the floor bleeding out as she dragged herself after Remus. Ok, maybe that was a stretch, but still, she might be scared or confused. She had no one right now. Remus had Peter and Sirius. He'll be ok.

Sirius.

James suddenly felt tired and slumped lower in his chair. What was Sirius thinking? Who was he kidding? Sirius doesn't think, but he's not a killer either. He'd never forgive himself if he let Snape die. However, James still might never forgive him for Lily.

-x-

Just over two weeks went by since that night, one spent in the hospital wing with "dragon pox". The second, Lily spent catching up on missed homework, reassuring friends that she was indeed cured and no longer contagious, subconsciously checking her arm and her neck in various reflective surfaces for the scars she knew to be there thought hidden from sight, and trying (and failing miserably) to talk to Remus. He was avoiding her, she knew. He even missed prefect rounds, something he never does unless they happen fall on the full moon.

It was Friday night, and Lily was determined not to let it bother her for now. He couldn't avoid her forever, and she was still behind in her classes. At this moment, she was standing quietly with her school bag sitting empty on her unmade four-poster bed, and a pile of books stacked neatly on her desk, the topmost tome reading _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_, completely unaware of her roommates' activities in the room. She was currently sorting through her things, deciding what she would need for her library crank-out session, and what was rubbish. Her notes were always such a mess, but she didn't mind. She felt organizing them later into some coherent order was the most useful part of her study routine. It also kept her friends from slacking and stealing her's.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noticed the noise level in the room die down and heard the click of the lock on the door, but paid no attention to the meaning of these seemingly unimportant observations.

"So what's up?" Mary McDonald, Lily's best friend and roommate asked from across the room. Something in her voice told Lily this wasn't meant to be a casual pleasantry. Mary wanted something, and she was not going to stop until she got it.

"Nothing," Lily said faking interest in her Potions notes from the day before, hoping her anxiety wasn't showing through.

"To hell with that rubbish," obviously it was. "Something's going on. You're hiding something. So what is it?" Mary sat down on Lily's bed, watching her expectantly.

"Nothing, I promise. What's this all about?"

"C'mon, Lily, you've been acting weird ever since you came back from the hospital wing." Lily froze. "Is it a boooy?" Mary said in a giggly little girl voice and a flutter of her beautifully long eyelashes.

"What?" Lily exclaimed in both shock and relief, snapping her head up with a painful sounded crack to look her friend in the face as if she were insane.

"It is, isn't it!" Mary said, victory in her eyes.

"No, what ever gave you that idea?"

"Well, you've been pretty cozy with Potter over the last week," she said suggestively.

"So we haven't had a fight yet, you call that cozy?" Lily said. She gave up and pretense of studying and stuffed her things into her bag haphazardly. It was true that they've been getting on better since that night. He was one of the few who knew about what happened. It felt good not to be worrying about being discovered when they hung out together. Now she was thinking she should limit their time together a bit.

"With how much you two have been in contact with each other? Definitely. Pair that with the fact that he hasn't asked you out yet this week –"

"Ever think maybe _that's_ why we haven't fought?"

"The only explanation would be that you were already dating," she finished as if never interrupted.

"So, you think me and James are together. That's what this is about?" Lily said amused. Now that she wasn't expecting to get caught any moment, she could enjoy some good old girl talk, even if it was about James Potter.

"Well, now that you've called him James, I may have to revisit that theory, but no. I think you're with Remus."

Suddenly, Lily's nervousness and anxiety began creeping back to her. "Where in the world did that come from?"

"I admit, I did think it was Potter, but then I noticed you watching Remus in Charms the other day, and looking for him in the Great Hall at meals. From there it was pretty obvious, and now I have my proof!"

"I'm not _dating_ Remus, he's not even talking to me right now," Lily slipped.

"Oh, but you want to. What happened? Did you ask him out and now he feels awkward? Is that why he won't talk to you?" She said all this at an almost incomprehensible speed that only gossipy girls seemed to manage.

"No, no. Nothing happened, and I'm not crushing on Remus. I don't know why he won't talk to me. I asked James and he won't tell me, not even sure if he knows, so let's just drop it."

"I'll go find out!" And before Lily could process what was happening, her feet were stuck to the floor, and Mary was speeding down the dormitory stairs with a mischievous smile on her face.

-x-

"Remus!" Mary called across the common room. It was just her lucky day. She knew all about Lily's failed attempts at stalking Remus over the last week. More than once, she fell asleep on the couch, waiting for him to come through the portrait hole. He must've had some kind of Lily detector or something, because he was just entering the round room full of energetic teenagers doing homework, playing games, and just generally hanging out when Mary hit the bottom stair. Better yet, he was alone, though that wasn't unusual. Something happened between the Marauders recently. They were once inseparable, but lately they barely talk anymore. That was sure to be Mary's next mystery to solve once this Lily and Remus business was all cleared up.

Remus, meanwhile, was swearing in his head at his stupidity. Sure the map said Lily was in her dorm and therefore, not a danger to Remus if he hurried upstairs, but that didn't mean he was safe from her _friends._

"Uh, hi Mary." He said anxiously trying to think up an escape route.

"Remus! Do you have a minute?"

"Actually, I was –"

"Good! She said, knocking him down onto one of the big, comfy, Gryffindor red couches facing the crackling fire, only causing Remus to sweat rather than filling him with homey warmth as it usually did.

"I know about you and Lily," she proclaimed confidently, pulling a visceral reaction from the normally laid-back Gryffindor.

"You what?" He said in a monotone voice, but with panic growing on the inside. Did Lily tell her? He didn't think she was the kind of girl that would tell everyone, but this was her best friend. His friends knew about him, and it wasn't like she could tell her about being a werewolf without the little detail of who bit her. Well, she could, but that would be lying. Still, only two weeks? It took him almost a year, and he didn't even tell his friends, they found out on their own. Maybe they, the Marauders, helped her. We all know, and we're still friends, well, were, maybe that made her believe she'd be ok. Maybe Lily and Mary are closer than he thought. Maybe Mary was about to kill him…

"She told you?" he asked.

"Still denying it, the little bugger, but I have eyes. I see things. Can't hide anything from me."

"And you're ok with everything?" His brain all but shut down at this point. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she looked at him like he was insane.

"Well, most of the world doesn't look at werewolves in a very positive light," he said quietly, "but I think it's great you're being so open-minded about it. She's really going to need a friend right now. Mary? Are you okay?"

Mary stiffened. All traces of the proud, confident, victorious woman that was just there was gone. "What did you say?"

At that moment, Lily emerged from the staircase leading up to the girls' dormitories barefoot yelling "Mary, where are you, you little –"

"You're a werewolf?" she announced to the whole common room. Lily stopped in her tracks, a book, yellowed and beaten, halfway into a throwing position aimed at her terrified friend. Lily took in the scene before her: Seemingly the whole of Gryffindor House staring at her, Mary standing in the center of the common room, pale as a ghost, Remus sitting next to her recently vacated seat. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together.

"Lily," Remus said, not yet sure what he was going to say, but feeling responsible. It didn't matter. Before he couldn't get another word out, she was gone, the book, an old copy of _The Hobbit_ left forgotten on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

sorry this is short and late. I had to write a story for College Writing and do this crazy computer program because I'm a really low tech computer science major who writes in her free time which I think is really funny and that's why it's included though not necessary. I'll hopefully have the next one up soon, but I have another program to write. If you want to read my story for class though to hold you over I can put that up haha yeah no one wants to read that. I don't own Harry Potter by the way, I never said that before because it's pretty obvious, but I don't really want to get sued on the off chance anyone would ever want to sue me. Enjoy!

**The Incident**

**Chapter 3**

Remus left the common room with a panicked expression on his face, the words _Oh no, what did I do_, running a loop like a broken record through his mind leaving no room for anything else. He looked left and right down the corridor, but Lily was obviously faster than he thought because she was nowhere to be seen. He thought he might've heard footsteps on his right. There was no way to know if it was her, but it was just as good as any other option so headed in that direction.

The corridors were a blur to him, his rapid heartbeat overtaking his senses. At one point he thought someone was saying something to him, but he ignored it and continued on his search for the red-head.

What seemed to him hours later, but logically could only have been minutes, he found her on the other end of the seventh floor. She was pacing back and forth at the end of the corridor.

"Lily!" Remus called, running to catch up with her.

She stopped in her tracks, looked at him, furious. "Now you want to talk huh?" she said viciously.

"Uh, well, I –"

"Couldn't hold it in, could you? Just had to blurt it out to the first person you seen!"

"Lily, it wasn't like that."

"Because talking to the person who's practically _stalked_ you for the last week makes absolutely _no_ sense. The person, you know, _involved_! Why in the world would you tell that person what you so obviously needed to get off your chest when you could tell her _secret_ to any random person; the same _secret _she's been keeping for you for the last 2 years!"

Her face was red and tears were rolling down her face. Whether in sadness or anger he couldn't tell, though anger seemed to be the more vocal of the two. She resumed her pacing from one end of the corridor to the other. Out of nowhere, a large ornate door appeared. Lily entered, slamming it in his face before his befuddled mind could follow.

Lily stood in the doorway, catching her breath, tears clouding her vision of an almost exact replica of Gryffindor Tower. The couches were here, as well as two matching armchairs, and fireplace, but the circular common room was smaller, designed for a much smaller population. The tables used for studying and chess were gone as well as the staircases to the dormitories.

Lily began to shake and leaned against the door, letting herself slide to the ground, her arms curled around her knees.

"Lily?" a voice called out from farther within the room.

She looked up, wiping her face. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me, Sirius," he said, joining her on the floor, slowly, carefully, gauging his welcome. He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"They know, everyone knows," she said with a sniff.

Sirius tensed, his head snapped to look Lily in the face. "They know? They know what? Not –"

"Yes, they _know_."

Sirius pulled her into a hug, letting her rest her head into the crook of his neck. They stayed this way, in silence, for a few minutes before Sirius had to say something.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"What?" she said tilting her head towards him, lifting her ear to better hear.

"I'm sorry for all of this. It's my fault you were bitten. It's my fault you almost died; any of us could have died."

"It's my own fault I was bitten. What you did was stupid, I don't know what you were _thinking_," she said with a sudden ferocity before letting it die down, "but you don't need me to tell you that. I'm sure you're getting enough of that from your friends."

"I wish. They won't even _look_ at me right now," Sirius said, frustrated.

"They will," Lily said confidently.

Sirius sat thinking. He didn't know how Lily could be so sure about that. What he did was horrible. He didn't even understand why he would do such a thing. How could they ever forgive him?

"You seem oddly calm about this whole thing," he said, tired of the same questions running through his head.

"I don't think any of this really hit me yet," Lily said thoughtfully. "I mean, I know what happened; I remember it. I see it every morning when I hide my scars, but it's all so unreal. It's like it's all just a bad dream, like if I just wait it out, everything will get better."

"It will," Sirius said. "You have the best werewolf support team in existence at your disposal!"

"Really? If I was on a werewolf support team I'm pretty sure my rule #1 would be to hide the fact that I was a werewolf." she said sarcastically, but not entirely pleasant.

"Err,"

"Remus told them. That's how they know what I am."

"What?" Sirius said incredulously. I was sure he heard wrong.

"It was Remus."

"That's not possible! He's the most paranoid person I've ever met! He's always going on about how we shouldn't talk about the full moons outside of the dorm, and –"

"Well obviously that only applies to himself," she said angrily.

"Look," Sirius said calmingly. "I think you're missing a piece of the puzzle here, Lily. Remus wouldn't just blurt out your secret, especially since it's his secret too."

"Can we just talk about something else?" she said, staring determinedly ahead. She didn't want to leave, there was every chance that Remus was still out there waiting, but she didn't want to talk about that. She came here to be alone, but strangely, she didn't mind speaking to Sirius. Without his friends, he wasn't nearly as annoying, none of them were really. It was sort of sad.

"How'd you get in here?" Sirius eventually asked. "I told it to give me somewhere I could be alone. No offense, but this isn't exactly alone. Well, not in the sense that I meant it," he said with a little eyebrow wiggle. She couldn't help but give a little chuckle.

"It's the glitch," she explained. "The room of requirement gives the asker whatever they require at the moment. If that's privacy, then usually the door will lock and not let anyone else in unless, of course, it's some sort of emergency, but if two people ask for something that would end in the same result, like an empty Gryffindor common room, both get it, but at the same time."

"I like you Evans," he said after a moment of thought. "Most girls would have said we secretly needed company or something stupid like that. Not you, no, you recite some library book to me." They both laughed more than either had in the past two weeks.

When they were finally able to stop, Sirius said, "So you're really not mad at me?" He was still smiling, but there was a small shake to his voice, like her answer meant much more to him than he wanted her to believe.

"How could I be mad at you? You're about to be my only friend left by tomorrow morning. Can't push you away, can I?" she said slapping her arm around his shoulders, giving him a comforting pat.

"You know who you remind me of?" Sirius asked. Lily gave a 'go on' sort of look before he answered, "James," and she slapped him on the back of the head. Hard.


End file.
